Just saw it...Possible Spoilers...

Finally got a chance to see this film after noticing it was available on Netflix. In all honesty, I can't say that I found it terribly interesting, especially in light of some of the praise heaped upon it in cult movie books I've read. Still, I can see why it has its fans and parts of the movie worked for me (like the trip into the interior of the alien ship). Interestingly, the first movie that came to mind as a borrower of some the visual ideas from this movie was not an A-lister like Alien, but a true D-lister, Galaxy of Terror, (itself an Alien ripoff of sorts!).

What really hurts the movie's narrative is that the captain is mostly an idiot. Once the ship touches down on the planet he must have checked his brains at the door. He loves to post guys (and even one of the gals) on solitary guard duty. Hey, Eldon, stay here and guard the empty spaceship filled with dead bodies. We'll be right back, shouldn't be too long... Exactly where does he see the need for a guard? And after he loses the first one, wouldn't he be more circumspect about doing it again?

The best scene in the movie, the trip into the alien ship, is marred by his insistence in fooling around with stuff until bad things happen. If this movie is an inspiration for Alien (and, by extension, Aliens), why didn't he follow Apone's mantra: nobody touch nothing. Near the climax of the movie he blows by the last 2 members of his crew (save for Wess) running like a headless chicken. Guess he didn't care what happened to those two! But... I guess that places when the big transformation took place (apparently at the lava pool in the marsh of death). So, maybe, he's off the hook for that one. Maybe...